NEW DELHI: Congress hopes to arrest its post-2014 slide, BJP looks for a surprise goal to get over its Delhi and Bihar blues and Left seeks a return to relevance as four major states, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam along with tiny Puducherry go to polls between April 4 and May 16. Importantly, three of the four big states voting have a high percentage of Muslim population.The results of the elections, spread out over more than a month-and-a-half, will be out on May 19 and decide the fates of stalwarts such as Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha, DMK boss M Karunanidhi and his successor M K Stalin, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Assam’s Tarun Gogoi and Kerala CM Oomen Chandy.

For veterans such as Gogoi and Karunanidhi, a loss could virtually mean the end of their political careers. A lot is at stake for CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, for this is the first electoral challenge for the party under his charge. The party’s performance in Bengal will be a verdict on the arrangement with Congress against Mamata.

The smaller figures — but who can tilt balances during and after elections — include Puducherry CM N Rangasamy, AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal in Assam and DMDK chief Vijayakanth in Tamil Nadu. Congress would look to unseat Rangasamy, a successful rebel, to improve its electoral scorecard.These elections will also see for the first time a NOTA (none of the above) symbol, created by the National School of Design, being placed at the bottom of the candidates’ list. A total of 17 crore voters are likely to vote in over 1.18 lakh polling stations. Stakes are high for national leaders too. After some succour in Bihar, Congress and its top leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi face a real test in Assam and Kerala where the party is in office and can’t count on powerful regional allies to bail it out.